Month: August 2021

As a teacher in New York, I remember having a few special assemblies where an invited company of artists and story tellers would come and performs plays and share stories through shadowboxes. They were very interesting. Who doesn’t like shadows?! As kids we used to play with them. We’d take a few steps and our shadow would be in front of us. Sometimes it was on our sides or behind us. Sometimes it was short and other times, tall.
There are people who like to imitate others-impersonators, and that’s good. Back in 1972 the guys on the block would enjoy watching and then talking about the TV show, The Kopycats. It was a show where actor/comedian Rich Little and others would impersonate characters of the day including presidents like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Then, there are other people living under the shadows of others. By under the shadows, I mean they don’t seem to have a life of their own. They eat, drink, sleep, and imitate a particular person to the point that they’ve lost who they are. To the point that they have no life. They’re obsessed. They’re living under the shadow of someone else.
In life there have been great people willing to live in the shadows of someone greater because they’ve wanted the other person to succeed or to shine without them getting in their way. It is said that behind the great reformer, Martin Luther, there was his friend Phillip Melanchton who was somewhat the opposite of what Luther was like. While Luther was ‘On the go” always energetic and outspoken, Melanchton helped him by tempering his energetic ways. That’s commendable, wanting to stay out of the spotlight.
Bette Midler’s song, Wind Beneath My Wings says,
“It must have been cold there in my shadow To never have sunlight on your face You were content to let me shine…”
It points out how a behind-the-scenes person is content to empower someone else while simultaneously staying in the dark. Yet there are others wanting the spotlight, to the point they stop thinking for themselves.
In life there are shadows that follow us! They don’t walk through our front doors and take a seat. Instead, they are shadows of troubles, of pain, of gossip, of injuries, of hurt, of guilt, etc. David Crowder Band sings (Shadows featuring Lecrae) of “When shadows fall on us, We will not fear, We will remember the cost (of the cross),” and will rest in its shadows. He shares how God will bring dark into light. There’s no need to fear shadows if we understand the cost of the cross and the purpose behind the sacrifice.
In the book The Shadow of the Almighty, Elizabeth Elliot, wife of one of five young missionaries, Jim Elliot, shares the experiences they encountered on their mission trip among the Auca Indians of Ecuador in the mid-1950s. From initial contact to being brutally murdered, she shares how their lives were hid under the shadow of Almighty God. Despite the shadows, God had a purpose in this (apparent) tragedy. It’s a must-read book or must-see movie (End of the Spear).
Since life casts all types of shadows on us we need to remember a larger one was cast upon Christ as probably the entire host of hell was upon Him making sure He died millions of times over, so He would never be an issue to them again. Though He died for tens of billions of people, he died only once: “But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). Though it cost Him His life, we can be confident He will remove all shadows haunting us, and only His Light will be present in the age to come.
If you’re living under someone’s shadows by pretending to be that person, come out! God has endowed you with sufficient gifts and abilities to stand on your own. If you’re working behind the scenes, not wanting that person’s glory, great! God will recompense you in due time. However, if you’re fearing shadows of turmoil, failure, lack of confidence, hide under His Wings (Psalm 17:8). Cast your fears upon Him, run into His arms like a child runs to a loved one. He will catch you and will hug those fears away. To be under His Shadows is to be safe within His arms. Do not live under someone else’s shadows. Live under His Shadow. “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1).
God Bless!
Sam

Ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao-tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” It’s so true! We tend to think, “A thousand miles?!” Are you crazy?? and won’t want to even try. Just the thought of all that walking can cause our feet to swell! There’s something about a walk-short or long. Like walking around one’s neighborhood or in a park or a lake, or down abandoned train tracks. A line from the 1972 song, Ventura Highway (America) goes, “Chewing on a piece of grass walking down the road…” conveying a relaxed, worry-free feeling that comes with a brisk walk. It’s one I can relate to when, in high school I would walk with a piece of grass 2 ¾ miles to school in the mornings and back home after track practice.

In a different type of walk, there are thousands of people out there saying they have “tried” Jesus, but He didn’t work out. Most likely, those people tried Jesus according to a church group’s rules or from a solo perspective. From a church group, they tried keeping a to-do list as well as a not-to-do list. From a solo perspective, most would say they tried their best at being good and pleasing God. Neither way will bring satisfactory results. When trying to follow a list one tends to want to get it all done as fast as possible.
Walking with God is not a walk in the park. It’s a journey. It might be a thousand miles or it may be several million miles. The point is it’s not mileage points that count, or how many miles-to-the gallon one gets. It’s about the walk itself. This is a lifetime commitment. Like marriage, your life and understanding will change the longer you walk with your spouse, or in this case, with God.
We can’t rush a lifetime walk. We can’t condense it into a few weeks and then expect miraculous results to start pouring in.
Enoch’s walk with God was so pleasing to Him that God translated him to heaven without dying (Genesis 5:24). With Elijah, God sent a chariot of fire with horses of fire and without dying, Elijah went to heaven in a whirlwind (2Kings 2:11). Since no one else has had this type of experience, it’s not likely you will either-unless of course, we’re around when God calls us all home in the Rapture of the church! In this walk with God there will be many obstacles. We need to keep our focus on Jesus. It’s not about getting rich, having great looks, being popular, or knowing it all. If we do have these features, great, but they’re not important at this point. So, what is? It’s your integrity, your commitment to God and others. It’s about faithfulness to God and to those depending on us. It’s about truthfulness. It’s about worshiping God and believing in Him.
In the movie, The Walk the true-story is told about Philippe Petit’s daring attempt to tightrope walk across the brand-new NY Twin Towers in the 1970s. If you watch the movie, you’ll see as all obstacles are cleared from his mind and how his focus becomes clearer as he sees his goal: the other side. Similar to our daily obstacles and tumbles in life, Philippe tunes out every sound below and is able to lie on his back and rise to his feet with nothing to hold on to. He was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of walking in the heights.
You and I can walk in the high places too. “The Lord God is my strength, and he has made my feet like hind’s feet, and makes me walk on my high places” (Habakkuk 3:19). Our life is not in this world. Our walk is in the spiritual realm where our battles also take place. But we can’t walk with our heads in the clouds and ignore our feet in the world. We need to be real here on earth. But our focus needs to be in heaven. When we serve Him, he translates us from here to the heavenly realm. (God) “has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13,14). Begin your journey.
God Bless!
Sam

Samuel, Samuel, Samuel, Samuel, Samuel!
Samuel was called several times but he didn’t hear the voice of the one calling him. Samuel, it turns out, had earplugs and was busy playing a computer game. This happened on my recent vacation as I called my grandson.
In contrast, Samuel in the Bible heard his name called the first time it was uttered, only, he didn’t know who was calling. He thought it was Eli the priest asleep in the next room. Once he understood it was God’s voice he was hearing, he responded with, “Speak LORD, for your servant is listening.” At an early age Samuel learned to discern God’s voice from that of others.
Now, you and I may not audibly hear God’s voice, but He’s nonetheless calling us each day. God will not cease to call us out until the very end of our lives or until the very moment He returns to take us home. The question is, are we listening? We’re told in Isaiah 65:2 “All day long have I stretched out my hands to a rebellious people.” He’s there waiting for us.
Which Samuel are you like? The first one, too busy and engrossed in your affairs to hear God’s voice-unable to discern it? Or, the second Samuel who heard it the first time but because he was a child not yet exposed to the knowledge that there was a God who speaks to men, ran instead to the priest?
Will you say, “Here am I.” “Speak LORD, your servant is listening” (1Samuel 3:4,9), or will you ignore the buzz in your ears and the pull in your heart? God is waiting.
Please listen to Hear My Voice by Lisa Bevill (YouTube). He’s calling you!
God Bless!
Sam

It’s action-packed! It’s suspenseful! From fighting to setting off alarms to anticipating what the enemy is up to next, Jason Bourne is constantly on the move. Explosives dominate the screen as fires erupt in all directions potentially harming him. Screeching tires, jumping from roofs to roofs and leaping into oceans are part of the action in this five-part movie franchise. They’re heart-stopping, foot stomping, and hand-shakin’ movies. Kind of hard to peacefully eat popcorn when someone unexpectedly crashes through a window. But that’s how the movies are!
Jason Bourne is a spy, an agent trained in combat-fighting, and brainwashed to kill his opponents. But now all agents have been sent by the agency he represents to annihilate him because he’s feared to be a threat if he chooses to expose them.
Bourne’s true identity has been hid from him as well as the agency’s (true) motives behind his assignments. He’s been repeatedly lied to. He’s been given several new identities. He’s no longer David Webb, he’s Jason Bourne always on the run. It seems that at every corner there’s a parked car watching him. His conversations are tracked, his every move monitored, his actions questioned. The agency refuses him rest. He’s hounded from country to country. When will it end?
Our lives run similar patterns. We are being monitored and watched. China has some 560 million cameras installed in public places across the country monitoring everyone’s move. About one billion surveillance cameras will be installed globally this year or in the years to come. Cell phone towers can pinpoint phone pings as well. On the positive side, these technological advances can be extremely helpful in solving crimes, kidnappings, mysterious disappearances, etc. But, used for intruding in our lives, or spying what we do or where we go, isn’t the same thing.
In general, society lies to us in the use of these things. They know our I.D. They question who we are. We are told we are different. Our purposes in life are challenged. We are told it’s alright to engage in things that are dishonorable to God whether you believe in Him or not. Society wants you to believe you came from an orangutan playing with a boomerang in the Yucatan, as opposed to being created by the Creator.
Todays’ youth in particular, lives on social media. They die on social media. Many have their lives dictated by comments followers post. People are kept in the dark to the realities around their lives. While these media-forms aren’t bad inventions, we need to know there’s more to life than living as others want us to, or being afraid others will now know about our lives and our choices.
The “Agency,” Satan’s kingdom, has agents hounding us where we go and what we do. Restlessness follows many leading oftentimes to suicide. His goals are to silence us. He doesn’t want his agency’s true agenda revealed to the world. He aims to change our identities; he wants us on the run filled with anxiety. He wants his agents persecuting us country to country. He wants us hiding in darkness wondering who we are or why we are here. When he’s informed that there’s an agent down another one will take its place. We may doubt our life’s purpose, but rest assured God knows what’s going on and why.
He wants us to remain a Jason Bourne-a man/woman with a blurred past going nowhere. But as great as the movies are and as great as Bourne is as a character (I love his movies), you don’t have to be a Bourne. You can, instead, be Born. Born again. Born from above, born from the Spirit (John 3:3,5).
In Christ you will have a new identity-be a new creation (2Corinthians 5:17). You can walk in the Light as He is in the light (1John 1:7). You can expose the evil deeds of the devil. You can train for spiritual combat against the principalities of darkness. When, through prayer and fasting you bring down his agents, and though he sends in more, you can defeat them all through your war-cry of victory in Christ. You can call for backup down on your knees from God’s innumerable army. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2Corinthians 10:4,5). You can run from rooftop to rooftop proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is King! When his demonic agents get you down, God’s angels will minister to you. In the spiritual realm Satan will light fires beneath you and around you. He’ll drown you with sorrow, temptations, accusations, lies and deceit, but with God’s help you will overcome them. Sign up today to become a Special Agent for Christ’s Kingdom. Tell Him, “I will do whatever You want me to do and I will go where needed to do what You ask.” His response to your mission:
“Fear not; for I am with you, be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you: yea, I will help you; yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). “Fear not: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you” (Isaiah 43:1b,2). Doubt not God’s purposes for your life. You’re an agent for the largest Agency worldwide.
Enjoy your popcorn…

God Bless!
Sam